Killing off Characters for the Hell of It
I just don't understand how/why these TV shows are just killing off characters for the hell of it. It's like show writers/producers/whatever don't want us to get attached or become comfortable. Killing off and writing off characters like Warrick Brown and Sara Sidle on CSI made sense. Gary Dourdan had drug issues and Jorja Fox had salary drama. But...
Agent Charlie Francis on Fringe - Charlie was just a side character. He was expendable. But, in killing him, they totally got rid of the average person perspective. He was the only character that would take things at face value, he wasn't quick to jump into the conspiracy theories. The show is less realistic without him.
Ashley Magnus on Sanctuary - Killing off one of three title characters at the end of the first season makes no sense. While the way they killed her off was definitely interesting, it wasn't worth it. And it's kind of silly that they essentially replaced her with Kate, when Kate isn't special in any kind of way. Every other character on that show has some special ability. Kate's just an average fighter with a slightly above average knowledge of abnormals.
Rita on Dexter - Why? Again this is another one where the producers felt they had to do something big to keep watchers entertained. Season 5 will probably be interesting, as Dexter deals with the kids on his own. But I still feel like there could have been an alternative story they could have gone with that wouldn't involve killing one of the main characters. Actually, I wouldn't have minded if they had killed off Debra...so annoying.
Owen, Tosh, and Ianto on Torchwood - Torchwood is the biggest offender. Why not just cancel the show already? Seriously, Jack is so hammy and Gwen is so annoying, it'd be best if they just put an end to it. I think that's secretly the goal of Russel T. Davies. "Hey, maybe if I kill off two characters, they'll cancel. No? How about another for good measure."
To me, it seems the writers/producers don't understand the difference between plot-driven and character-driven storylines. Sanctuary, Torchwood, and Fringe were meant to be plot-driven, but the writers have dug so much into the personal lives of the characters that they've become a blend of plot-driven and character-driven. So, when you kill off a character, it SUCKS.
Dexter was made to be a character-driven story, but the producers wanted to "up the ante" (plot-wise) for Season 4, so they killed off one of their main characters. Stupid.
A purely plot-driven show is Law and Order. No one cares when a character gets killed off or written off on Law and Order. No one watches that show for the characters. They watch it for a good 45 minute story. And that's why L&O has been on for 20 years.
There's usually not a good way to kill off a character from a character-driven story. I think Supernatural has done it the best. They started out with two characters that likely won't be killed until the very end, and over the years they've weaved in new characters for half-season - multiple-season story arcs. When these new characters die, we care, but not as much as we would if the characters had been there from the very beginning. Never kill off the original characters.
*le sigh* I'm done ranting. I'm just sick of seeing shows kill off main characters. Every show I watch has killed off a character recently with the exception of Bones, Supernatural, and Leverage. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for these three.
Agent Charlie Francis on Fringe - Charlie was just a side character. He was expendable. But, in killing him, they totally got rid of the average person perspective. He was the only character that would take things at face value, he wasn't quick to jump into the conspiracy theories. The show is less realistic without him.
Ashley Magnus on Sanctuary - Killing off one of three title characters at the end of the first season makes no sense. While the way they killed her off was definitely interesting, it wasn't worth it. And it's kind of silly that they essentially replaced her with Kate, when Kate isn't special in any kind of way. Every other character on that show has some special ability. Kate's just an average fighter with a slightly above average knowledge of abnormals.
Rita on Dexter - Why? Again this is another one where the producers felt they had to do something big to keep watchers entertained. Season 5 will probably be interesting, as Dexter deals with the kids on his own. But I still feel like there could have been an alternative story they could have gone with that wouldn't involve killing one of the main characters. Actually, I wouldn't have minded if they had killed off Debra...so annoying.
Owen, Tosh, and Ianto on Torchwood - Torchwood is the biggest offender. Why not just cancel the show already? Seriously, Jack is so hammy and Gwen is so annoying, it'd be best if they just put an end to it. I think that's secretly the goal of Russel T. Davies. "Hey, maybe if I kill off two characters, they'll cancel. No? How about another for good measure."
To me, it seems the writers/producers don't understand the difference between plot-driven and character-driven storylines. Sanctuary, Torchwood, and Fringe were meant to be plot-driven, but the writers have dug so much into the personal lives of the characters that they've become a blend of plot-driven and character-driven. So, when you kill off a character, it SUCKS.
Dexter was made to be a character-driven story, but the producers wanted to "up the ante" (plot-wise) for Season 4, so they killed off one of their main characters. Stupid.
A purely plot-driven show is Law and Order. No one cares when a character gets killed off or written off on Law and Order. No one watches that show for the characters. They watch it for a good 45 minute story. And that's why L&O has been on for 20 years.
There's usually not a good way to kill off a character from a character-driven story. I think Supernatural has done it the best. They started out with two characters that likely won't be killed until the very end, and over the years they've weaved in new characters for half-season - multiple-season story arcs. When these new characters die, we care, but not as much as we would if the characters had been there from the very beginning. Never kill off the original characters.
*le sigh* I'm done ranting. I'm just sick of seeing shows kill off main characters. Every show I watch has killed off a character recently with the exception of Bones, Supernatural, and Leverage. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for these three.